WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Jan. 21) – The Waynesburg University women's basketball team tangled with a fast-paced Bethany College squad on Wednesday. The Bison got off to a quick start and never looked back on their way to an 82-71 win.
The Yellow Jackets (6-10, 2-5) found themselves in an early 11-1 hole that forced them to burn a timeout. Waynesburg cut the deficit down to five (15-10), but Bethany (10-6, 5-2) responded with an 8-0 run of its own to take a 29-21 lead into the second quarter.
Junior guard
Mia Henkins (Morgantown, W.Va. / Morgantown) found increased scoring success in the second quarter, converting two layups and knocking down a three. At the same time, Bethany continued to perform offensively at a high level, and by the time the two teams broke for their respective locker rooms, the home team was trailing 48-34 at the half.
Senior
Kalista Friday (Woodfield, Ohio / Monroe Central) got into double figures early in the third quarter with her third three ball of the evening. She ended the night as the game's leading scorer with 22 points.
The Jackets were able to outscore Bethany in the third quarter thanks to a buzzer-beating three-pointer from senior guard
Aubrey Burns (Kittaning, Pa. / Armstrong) The score stood at 66-54 heading into the final 10 minutes.
Henkins gave fans something to cheer about late in the fourth, as she hit a step-back jumper off a crossover move that shook her defender out of her shoes. The play sparked a 6-0 run that brought Waynesburg within single digits of the lead (76-67) for the first time in the entire second half.
Unfortunately, Bethany was able to score six of the game's final 10 points to close out the win.
Henkins finished second on the team in scoring with 16. Junior
Julz Mohrbacher (Freedom, Pa. / Freedom) paced Waynesburg on the boards with a team-high nine rebounds, while Friday swiped away a contest-best four steals.
The Jackets are back in action on Saturday when they take on Westminster for a PAC contest at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse. Start time is scheduled for 1 p.m.
